


The Debacle of Harmony

by Mweebles, Phyre Melody (Mweebles)



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-17
Updated: 2014-06-17
Packaged: 2018-01-25 09:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1644575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mweebles/pseuds/Mweebles, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mweebles/pseuds/Phyre%20Melody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Brown meets a stranger in a diner and is impressed by her unique ability. Layelle Shaw is running away from her past and needs the help of SPR when an unruly dark spirit keeps attacking her. Can she behave herself when she has felt a rampant attraction for John since day one?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I laid in bed with my eyes shut tight against the swirling darkness.

She had appeared again. The dark spirit.

My arms wound tightly around my body pillow as I listened to footsteps on the hardwood floor slowly coming closer.

I felt the room growing colder.

I felt the dip in the bed and an icy breeze wash over me.

I shot up out of bed, screaming.

A wave of blackness rippled around me and an unseen hand grabbed at my hair and face. I screamed and ran out of my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. The blackness passed through the door and I felt a grip on my arm. Shaking it off vigorously, I grabbed my bag and stuffed handfuls of clothing in and threw on my jacket and shoes. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a form of a woman in the blackness, inches from my back. With a scream, I tore through the living room and yanked open the front door. I felt my hair being tugged from behind, fingers latching into my curls. I yanked my head forwards and slammed the door behind me.

I watched in horror as the knob started to turn from the inside.

I grabbed the doorknob tightly and thrust the key in. The doorknob rattled violently, but after a struggle, I was able to lock it. I hesitated, leaning back against the pillar behind me and watching the doorknob as I caught my breath.

It was still.

I let out a breath of relief and hefted my bag onto my back. I began walking as fast as I could away from the house. I would take the train into the city. I needed to be around living people.

~*~

I sat at the corner of the bar at a 24 hour diner nursing a cup of coffee as the rain poured. It was 5 am and I was unsure what my next move would be. The neon lights of the diner had drawn me in as a suitable place to escape the rain. The waitress, a middle-aged lady with a kind, light pink aura, took pity on my bedraggled appearance and gave me a huge bowl of miso soup with rice. I thanked her graciously but gave no explanation as to why my appearance was so rough and my manner so jumpy. I was the only customer at the moment, so she turned on the small tv above the bar to help give some background noise to the silence. I basked for a while in the warmth and enjoyed the soup.

The door to the diner opened and the waitress and I looked up at the young blonde-haired man that entered. He smiled shyly at us and sat a couple stools down from me at the bar. The waitress perked up a bit and poured him a coffee right away. Her aura was a very light pink outline, but his upstaged hers by a mile. It was bright blue and seemed to radiate all around him in a soft neon glow.

"Good morning, Father Brown. You're here early today," said the waitress. I looked again and took note of his black shirt and clerical collar.

"G'day," he said. "I've just returned from helping another church across town with a problem they've been having." He set a book in front of him and I peeked at the title. Demonic possession. I caught a chill and shivered. The priest noticed and turned his gaze on me. "Are you alright, miss?" I placed his accent. Australian. Hot.

"The subject matter of your book seems rather...dark," I said. I took a long sip of coffee.

"It is. Makes for spooky reading material. Fortunately I only have dealt with spirit possessions. Though, some of them are very dark." He said. I looked at his white collar again and sighed. "Something wrong?" His blue eyes held a touch of concern.

"Well...it's my house. I can hardly stay there anymore. This dark spirit is getting more aggressive." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. My curls were sticking straight out from my head. "I'm sorry. I probably look and sound like a crazy person. Stupid hair."

"You look and sound fine to me, miss," said the priest reassuringly. After a beat, his eyes widened and he blushed so deeply that it contrasted with his aura. Did I just see the color squiggle? I couldn't help but let a giggle out.

"You're too kind. My name is Layelle Yamad - uh - Layelle Shaw. Nice to meet you." I smiled and hoped my little slip-up went unnoticed.

"John Brown." We shook hands and I watched an orange flash ripple through our auras from our joined hands. It disappeared when we let go and it was my turn to blush. Orange? With him, a priest? A young, super cute priest? Wow, Layelle. Classy. Your dry spell may have run on for too long.

John peered curiously at me. "Miss Shaw, may I ask what you're sensing? I noticed you looking all around me." My face grew hotter. I couldn't say 'well, Father Brown, I'm sensing animal attraction between us. Rawr.'

"At the risk of sounding completely bonkers, I can see people's auras." I paused for his reaction. He looked surprised with his mouth open slightly.

"That's so interesting. What does mine look like?" His big blue eyes were fixed on me in wonder. Normally people would have been weirded out by now. This is a nice change.

"Yours is bright blue. Like, really bright. That means you are a good person. And it expands out rather than just outlining you, which suggests that you are a very spiritual person." John smiled at my explanation.

"Wow. So you can read people from looking at their auras, too?" He asked.

"Pretty much. All the moods and emotions have different effects and they flicker through your aura as you feel them. I haven't memorized all of them, but I recognize the common ones."

"And what have you been experiencing at your house? Can you see spirit auras?" asked John.

"Benign spirits are the color of the aura they had when living and it glows around them. The ones at my house...Their auras are so black and they've started...hurting me." I closed my eyes and tried to block out the horrifying memories of this morning.

"Hurting you? How?" I opened my eyes and looked at him. He looked apprehensive.

"Grabbing at my hair, my face, pinning me against the wall, chasing me, scratching me." I showed him a long scratch on my forearm. His brow furrowed.

"I think I know how to get you help. I work with Shibuya Psychic Research. We investigate the paranormal for clients and help cleanse spirits if needed."

"That's a thing?" I said, sounding surprised. John chuckled and nodded.

"We get a lot more clients than what you'd expect," he said. "Japan is really haunted."

"Hmm...How soon would you guys be able to help me?" I asked.

"If you want, I can walk with you to the office after I get some breakfast in me," offered John. More quality time with this cutie? Yes, please!

"If it's not any trouble," I said. I picked my spoon up and faced the back towards me. My hair looked horrible. With the combined efforts of malevolent spirits and the rain, I looked like a zombie.

"No trouble at all. I need to stop by the office anyway." John waved the waitress over and ordered eggs and toast. He glanced at me and then did a double take. "Are...are you checking your reflection in the spoon?" I plunked the spoon back into the soup bowl and tried not to look too guilty. Waves of amusement were rolling through John's aura and he had a facial expression to match.

"Nooo...but if you'd excuse me, I'll be fixing my crazy hairdo in the ladies' room!" I hopped off my barstool and headed to the restroom, my face red. I could hear John's quiet laughter behind me.

I emerged from the restroom about twenty minutes later feeling refreshed. I managed to tame my dark brown curls and was confident that I no longer resembled Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter. Thankfully I had managed to grab enough clothes without getting killed, so I was donning regular clothes and had changed out of my oh so fashionable pajamas. I made my way back to my stool. John was lost in his breakfast, so I let him eat and settled in to watch the TV above the bar.

"A family in Tokyo was devastated when they received the news late yesterday evening that the body of their daughter, Neta Yamada, was found off the shores of the Tokyo Bay." A picture of Neta Yamada was shown, and suddenly I felt ice cold. "Cause of death has not been released. Yamada had been missing a week prior and time of death coincides with this."

"WHAT?!" I yelled. John jumped and looked up at me, startled.

"What's wrong?!" he asked, wide-eyed. His aura pulsed nervously.

"T-that was my sister-in-law," I said. Neta has been dead this whole time? This is crazy! I bent down and rested my face in my hands. "I think I'm in shock. She was so young! How can this be?"

"Neta...your sister-in-law?" asked John. I looked up and caught him looking at my bare left hand and the tell-tale ring finger tan line. His aura slightly dulled in brightness but his face was blank. I wondered what he thought.

"Former sister-in-law. I had been separated from Nobu Yamada for about six months as of January last year and then we filed for divorce. It was finalized about a week or two ago. I just revert back to my maiden name unofficially. We married about two months after we graduated high school. We...well...long story short, he and his family washed their hands of me." I sighed. "I feel like I've been talking about me ever since we met this morning. I apologize."

"Don't. It's alright. You've been through a lot," said John softly. "Neta and her family will be in my prayers."

"Thank you, Father," I said, smiling sadly.

"No need for that. Call me John." He smiled. "Are you ready to head to the office, Miss Shaw? It looks like it's still raining, but I've got an umbrella."

"Please, John, call me Layelle," I said, grinning cheekily. I watched poor John blush once more. We paid for our breakfasts and said goodbye to the waitress. John opened the door and held the umbrella up.

"Ladies first."


	2. Chapter 2

John's POV

We were halfway to the Shibuya Psychic Research office and Layelle had been quiet the whole time. She looked deep in thought and I assumed she needed time to process the news of her former sister-in-law's death, so I let her be. She seemed to have a lot on her plate right now with her haunting and what ever post-divorce troubles she may have. I thought about her gift of being able to see auras. I never met anyone with that type of ability before. I thought it was fascinating. Layelle seemed to watch my aura as we talked. I wondered how feelings look in aura form and if it made it any easier to read people to get along with them better. Layelle finally looked up at me, her green eyes sweeping over my aura and stopping at where our shoulders were touching in order for us to both properly be under the umbrella. She blushed when she noticed me looking, and looked away. She started to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. What what that about?

"Am I feeling something horrible or embarrassing that I'm unaware of?" I asked nervously. She giggled and shook her head.

"You've just been sending out waves of curiosity every two seconds. I just pictured you with a bunch of question marks popping up over your head. It was kinda cute," she said. I felt myself blushing. "Anyway, what's going on in that head of yours that would be embarrassing?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of. I would like to pick your brain about auras when we get to the office if you don't mind. I think the others would be interested as well," I said. Layelle smiled.

"I wouldn't mind. I haven't really had anyone to talk to about this stuff lately," said Layelle, sighing. "My family moved back to the USA last year after my dad retired from the air force, and the Yamadas that knew about my ability were scared of it."

"No worries. You'll have an entire group to talk to. We're a mixed bunch. We have a monk, a shrine maiden, a medium, a latent psychic, an onmyoji, and a ghost hunter. And me," I added.

"Wow. You guys must throw amazing office parties!" Layelle said jokingly. I laughed.

"Speaking of that, I forgot to ask what do you do for work?" I asked.

"I'm a teacher. I teach English to elementary and middle school kids," she said. "I love working with kids."

We reached the office and I held the door open for her. Mai was there to greet us.

"Good morning, John!" Said Mai cheerfully. She noticed Layelle. "Oh! Hello and welcome! I'm Mai Taniyama."

"Hi, I'm Layelle Shaw. Nice to meet you." Layelle seemed to smile as her gaze went over Mai's aura. Mai noticed and eyed her curiously.

"I met Layelle this morning at the diner near my flat. It seems that she needs our help. She's also a spiritualist," I explained.

"I can see people's auras and kinda read them," added Layelle. Mai's eyes widened.

"Oh wow! What does mine look like?" asked Mai eagerly.

"Yours is a bright amber color that expands around you like John's, so that means you're a spiritualist, too." Mai was about to ask another question when a voice interrupted her.

"Mai? Who are you talking with?" called Kazuya Shibuya from his office. "And where's my tea?"

"We have a new client, Naru!" Mai called back to him. "She's a friend of John's and a spiritualist."

"I'll be out there shortly. Make tea." Mai stuck her tongue out in the direction of Naru's door.

"Be right back! You guys should sit down and relax." Mai said, going to the kitchen.

~*~

Layelle's POV

I watched Mai leave the room, her bright amber aura trailing her out. Mai seemed really young. I started to wonder, but movement from the office door caught my attention. A tall, dark haired boy with all black clothing stood peering at me. His aura wasn't as big as Mai's or John's, and it was a weird, shiny gray. The edges didn't fade to softness like theirs either.

"Good morning, Kazuya," said John with a grin.

"John," said Kazuya, nodding a greeting. His voice was quiet and steady and his aura was the picture of calm. His eyes settled on me. "I'm Kazuya Shibuya. Pleased to meet you." He bowed.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Layelle Shaw," I said, bowing back.

"Forgive me if I'm too intrusive, but isn't your name Layelle Yamada?" he asked. John looked between us nervously from his seat on the sofa. Mai walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray for tea and began setting it down on the table between the sofas.

"I'm guess you overheard my introduction earlier and googled me," I said. A tiny ripple in his aura confirmed it. "My teacher profile wouldn't have my name change yet since my divorce was only finalized about two weeks ago. It's the middle of the semester and would confuse my students."

"Divorced? You're too young to be married, let alone divorced!" said Mai incredulously, taking a seat across from us.

"Thanks!" I said, grinning. "I'm 21. I got married at 18. It's a horrible mistake. Don't do it."

"Wow. I didn't know that you were older than me. I'm 19," said John, looking at me in disbelief. A priest at only 19? I assumed he was at least my age. I remembered that moment earlier when we were walking under the umbrella and I looked down at our shoulders touching. The aura between us had been bright orange. The same orange when we shook hands for the first time in the diner. The last time I saw the color orange like that was maybe the first few months of last year of my marriage. I sighed.

"Back to business," said Kazuya, a wave of annoyance rolling through his aura. "Why do you need our help, Miss Shaw?"

"Well, what I told John at the diner earlier isn't even the beginning of it. For the past year or so, I've been experiencing increased paranormal activity in the house that I'm living in now. First it was just random gray aura apparitions, temperature drops, doors opening and closing on their own and stuff like that. More recently, I've been seeing this spirit of a woman and she's hostile. Her aura is completely black. At first I would just hide under my covers at night with my rosary and pray and the worst that would happen was hearing footsteps and feeling an icy breeze and maybe seeing her staring at me if I peeked out. Last week was the first time she attacked me. She scratched me." I held up my arm. "It was when I was leaving and didn't have the rosary with me. I came home that night and the beads from the rosary were scattered all over the floor. That night I tried praying without the rosary and she tried suffocating me. I escaped and went out to Shibuya and got another rosary, but it was destroyed when I got home yesterday." I sighed and looked around at everyone. Kazuya's aura was buzzing with thought and Mai's and John's auras held fear. "And this morning is when she literally chased me out of my house."

"How old is your house?" asked Kazuya. He had gotten out a notepad and was taking notes.

"I would say two years. There was an old apartment building that was demolished to build the house and I've been living there since my ex and I separated. I tried researching the land and any tenants that may have lived in the old apartment but was unable to find anything," I said.

"Where is it located?" Mai asked.

"In Yoyogi by Uehara Elementary," I said. The front door to the office burst open and a tall man with long sandy brown hair with a guitar strapped to his back came into the room. His aura was light red, almost orange and it glowed bright with the cheerful mood he seemed to be in. Could it really be him?

"Hey guys, how's it going?" He said, taking off his shades. I got a full view of his face, but he didn't seem to notice me yet. He went to sit next to Mai. I stood up and John looked up at me curiously.

"Monk, we are with a client, so-"

"Hoo-shoe?" I asked, cutting Kazuya off. Houshou Takigawa froze at the sound of the old nickname and turned to face me. Surprise and disbelief were etched on his aura and his face.

"What the...Tex? Is that really you?!" Houshou nearly whacked Kazuya with his guitar trying to cross to my side of the table.

"Are you kidding me? Look at you! You strutted in here looking like Bono!" I said jokingly.

"Come here, you!" He pulled me into a bone crushing hug. "Where's Nobu?"

"Yeeeeeah...about that…" I cringed. "We're not together anymore. We got divorced." He froze and then held me out at arm's length and looked down at my bare left hand. His aura flushed with relief.

"Whoa. So you're back on the market..." he said, smirking at me.

"Ew. Three years gone by and you're still creepy, Hoo-Shoe," I teased. Mai and John didn't even try to hold back their laughter at Houshou's nickname. I started calling him that because apparently I was never able to pronounce Houshou correctly. He called me Tex since I seemed to inherit my mother's western accent and that he simply sucked at pronouncing 'Layelle.'

Kazuya cleared his throat. "Monk, I need to finish interviewing Miss Shaw. Either leave or be quiet until I'm done."

"Right. Sorry, Naru. Tex, scoot over," said Houshou, nudging me with his guitar. I scooted over to the middle of the couch so he could sit down. In typical male manner, he sat with his legs sprawled and proceeded to jab me with his knee to scoot me over further. I ended up snugly sat between him and John and was painfully aware of the orange border between me and John.

"Mai, take this to Lin and call Miss Hara and Miss Matsuzaki to the office." Kazuya gave Mai the notepad and she walked off towards a door near the back of the office. He focused his gaze on me. "Miss Shaw, you're able to see auras?"

"I am. I see everyone's aura as a different shade according to their essence or personality. I can read most emotions, feelings, and moods. At times, I can read interactions between people. Like, if friends were to sit next to each other, where their auras would interact, it would be orange, no, yellow. Sorry." I hit the butt of my heel against my forehead. Seriously, brain? Houshou laughed at me.

"Nice one. Can't even get your aura colors straight," he teased. He blocked my jab at him with his hand.

"So, yellow is friendship. What would orange be?" prompted Kazuya. I turned scarlet.

"Orange would be desire or attraction. Dark red is romance. Pinks are familial love. These show up either between two auras or within one aura if someone is thinking something to evoke those feelings," I explained.

"Ooooh. So, who are you feeling orange for?" asked Houshou. I growled and made to backhand him, but he pushed my arm the opposite way and I ended up accidentally whacking John on the top of the head.

"Owww! That hurt!" John whined, touching his head feebly.

"OHMYGOSH! I'm so sorry John! I didn't mean it!" I yelled, gently rubbing his head where I struck it. "You poor thing! I feel horrible!" I looked up to see Mai walking back to the room raising an eyebrow and Kazuya trying his best to ignore us as he sipped his tea. Houshou was too busy laughing.

The front door opened and two ladies entered. I stopped rubbing John's head to look up at them. The taller of the two was a pretty redhead dressed in a fashionable dress and high heels. Her aura was a nice light green. The other one had short black hair and wore a dark purple floral kimono. Her aura was a pretty shade of lilac and seemed to be buzzing with activity. This one was probably the medium.

"Miss Shaw, this is Miss Ayako Matsuzaki our shrine maiden and Miss Masako Hara, our medium," said Kazuya. "Ladies, this is Layelle Shaw, the client in our new case. She is also a spiritualist and is able to see auras."

"A pleasure to meet you," said Ayako.

"Miss Shaw, a pleasure," echoed Masako. I smiled at both of them. All of a sudden a tall black haired man came out of the room in the back and stood beside Naru, silently handing the notepad back. I stared at him. This man had a shining silver aura with the edges lined in a faint white light.

"This is Lin Koujo, my assistant. Lin, this is our client Miss Layelle Shaw," said Kazuya. Lin just nodded slightly at me as if he were nonchalant that I was staring wide-eyed at his awesome looking aura. "We'll gather all the equipment and head for the investigation shortly.

I took a deep breath. This was finally happening!


	3. Chapter 3

Kazuya, Lin, John and Houshou loaded up equipment in the vehicles as Mai and I filled in Masako and Ayako about the current situation. I had already told them about the haunting.

"Are you able to see your own aura?" asked Masako.

"Yes. I tune it out most of the time, though. It's kind of like when you tune out your nose most of the time unless you think of it," I said.

"Oh, great," said Mai, looking cross-eyed at her nose. Ayako smirked and flicked her on the nose. "Hey!"

"I thought you might say that," said Masako, ignoring the other girls' antics. "Look at your aura now. What do you see?" Curious, I looked down at my chest and focused on my aura. My olive colored aura had specks of black and gray floating through it. I gasped and locked eyes with Masako.

"What is this?" I asked apprehensively, instinctively trying to smack the specks away from me. Mai and Ayako raised their eyebrows at me.

"Spiritual debris. Most likely from the spirits you encountered in your home," said Masako. "Have you ever cleansed your aura before?"

"I didn't know I could even do that," I said.

"The best method I have used is to sweep your aura with a feather as if you are sweeping with a broom," said Masako. "It helps clear your aura so that your perception isn't clouded. It is good to do the cleaning before and after dealing with spirits."

"Do I have to tackle a bird and pluck it to get the feather?" I asked. Masako hid her grin with her kimono sleeve and Mai and Ayako giggled openly.

"Actually, I think Naru has some in his office," said Mai. Picturing serious Kazuya having a pastime of tackling and plucking birds made me crack up. The other girls weren't too far behind. I'm pretty sure we had the same mental picture.

"What's so funny?" Asked the subject of our laughter, walking into the office followed by the others. I stuffed my fist into my mouth to try and stifle a fresh bout of laughter. Masako was still hidden behind her sleeve, shaking with silent laughter.

"Just having a little laugh on your behalf," teased Ayako.

"Naru, could you lend Layelle a feather? It's to cleanse her aura," said Mai.

"I don't see why not. There's a jar on my bookshelf. You can go get it for her," said Kazuya. Mai got up and went to walk past him, but snorted as she caught sight of him looking at her. "What?" A sliver of amusement showed up in his aura.

"Nothing. Nothing." Mai hurried past him into his office where she let her laughter loose.

"Why is your aura so dirty? Haven't you heard of good hygiene?" Asked Houshou, sitting between me and Ayako. He made to block Ayako's purse, so I bonked him on the top of his head. "Owwww! Why?!"

"That's payback for making me hurt John earlier!" I said.

"Don't hit me! Go kiss his head and apologize!" Said Houshou, rubbing his head. My face flushed.

"Now, now. It's alright. I've got a hard head," reassured John, his aura teeming with amusement. Mai had returned and handed me a white feather.

"Now you just sweep the feather away from you to dislodge the debris. It's good to start at your head...And go do it outside so the debris doesn't settle in here," said Masako, adding the last part quickly as I almost started right then.

"We might as well finish loading up and head out," said Kazuya. Everyone stood and went about their duties. I headed outside with the feather.

"I look like a dork," I said to myself, sweeping as Masako had suggested. It worked surprisingly well. Shortly after I finished, we piled into two vehicles and headed towards my house. I rode with Mai, Kazuya, and Lin so that I could give directions.

"Aww! You have a cute little house!" Said Mai as we pulled into the driveway. I had a two-story townhouse-style home. The driveway and small garage was at the side of the house. On the first floor was the living room/dining room, kitchen, and my bedroom. The second floor had two empty bedrooms and an office.

"Not so cute on the inside right now, I'm afraid," I said.

Kazuya, Houshou, and Masako accompanied me into the house while the others unloaded equipment. My eyes darted around as we entered and settled on an object lying in the middle of the living room. My cell phone.

"I didn't even know I dropped it," I said. It rang right at that instant, making us jump. I stooped down to pick it up and answered it on speakerphone. "...Hello?"

"Just tell me what the fuck is your problem, you stupid little bitch?!" A furious but familiar voice spoke. Shit. I forgot to check caller ID.

"Nobu?" I asked. "Uh...What's going on?" Houshou frowned. Kazuya and Masako watched me with eyebrows raised.

"Don't act like you're fucking innocent, you dumb bitch!" He yelled. "Stay out of my fucking life and stop calling me!"

"Fuck you, asshole! Don't call me again!" I snapped before hanging up. I looked at the others and they were shocked right down to their auras.

"Ah...So it ended on those terms," noted Houshou. I ignored his comment and went to check my call history when all of a sudden a cloud of black appeared and rammed me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the floor coughing. Houshou ran and knelt beside me. "What happened?"

"The spirit attacked her," said Masako, her voice shaky. "It's very dark." I couldn't stop coughing.

"Monk, take her outside to get some air," said Kazuya. "Do you mind if I take a look at your phone, Miss Shaw?" Houshou helped me up and I handed Kazuya my phone.

"What happened?" Mai asked, carrying an equipment case in. I could only make a weird noise in response.

"The spirit rammed her in the stomach," said Houshou. He sat me down in a lawn chair on the porch and patted me on the back as I wheezed. "Breathe, Tex." John was the next to pass by. He hesitated and set his cases down to rummage through his pockets. He held up a black beaded cross necklace.

"You should wear this if you go back inside," said John. "Here. It will help protect you." He handed me the necklace and I put it on.

"Thanks," I croaked. He smiled sweetly and then picked up the equipment cases to take inside. Those looked heavy. I wondered if he had any muscle going on under that black shirt. I bit my lip at the thought.

"Enough checking out John and fill me in on the Nobu situation," said Houshou, rolling his eyes at me. "You can't expect me to not be curious. You two were inseparable the last time I saw you and now you're divorced and yelling profanities at each other on the phone. What the heck happened?"

"There was a change in Nobu. He became increasingly distant and always seemed to escape to Osaka all the time to see his family or some other girl or whatever," I said, sighing and combing my hair back. "We separated starting January of last year for six months before we decided to divorce. His family got in the way and it was about a year and a half's worth of complete bullshit. Like, they tried getting the house in the divorce. Joke's on them, it's actually my parents' house."

"Did you guys even try to work it out or go to counseling?" asked Houshou, looking overwhelmed. His aura had a hint of anger and worry. "I mean, geez. Back then you were dedicating songs to him and giving him bedroom eyes from onstage."

"I wanted to work it out but he didn't want to. I think it was the combination of his personality change, his family's fear of my ability, and the fact that we were eighteen and trying to make huge life decisions. And I got tired of putting up with all of the fights, being treated like an alien by his family, and having him drunk dial me the whole time we were separated."

"Um, well damn, Tex. I'm sorry," said Houshou, his face solemn. The anger was more evident in his aura.

"What's got you mad?" I asked.

"That you had to put up with all that alone. I'm a horrible big brother for not keeping in touch with you for three years."

"Aww," I said, hugging him. "It's super creepy when you refer to yourself as my big brother, FYI. But I know you would have been there had I reached out to you."

"Monk! Layelle! Time to set up the investigation!" called Mai from inside.

~*~

Base was set up in the office room upstairs. Cameras and microphones were set up and ready in all of the rooms. Kazuya gathered everyone around for a briefing.

"Since we're dealing with a dark spirit, I want Miss Shaw and Mai to stay at base. Ayako and Monk can take the upstairs rooms. John, Masako, and I can take the downstairs," said Kazuya. Everyone nodded and went about in their preparations.

"Aw man! Why can't I help out?" whined Mai. Kazuya looked at her and a squiggle of worry went across his aura.

"I'm already giving you the responsibility of watching the monitors, manning the walkie-talkie and guarding Miss Shaw. Isn't that enough or would you like Lin's duties?" he said. Mai's face flushed and a wave of annoyance ran over her aura.

"That's not what I meant," she said. Kazuya went to speak and she stopped him. "Fine, fine, fine! I'll do my job." Kazuya walked off with a tiny smirk on his face and amusement in his aura. Mai watched him go and a flash of orange sparked across her aura, dissipating the annoyance.

"Whoa, girl, what are you thinking about?" I teased. Mai's eyes widened and she whipped around to face me.

"How much did you see?" she demanded.

"Relax. I only see colors and stuff like that," I said. "If I saw thoughts, I'd be sooo emotionally scarred by now." She sighed in relief. She noticed my necklace.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked. I took it off to hold in my hands. The black tourmaline beads were round and shiny.

"John lent it to me," I said. Mai giggled.

"I think he likes you," she said. "He's being more protective than normal. He never lends us any protective jewelry." It was my turn to blush. Mai's eyes widened and she smiled. "You like him, too!"

"Well, I dunno. Maybe. But he's a priest. And Catholic priests are supposed to be celibate," I said.

"He's still a teenager! You're probably his first crush," said Mai. She was really amused by all this.

"Aw, come on! Don't call him a teenager! That makes me feel like a pervert," I said. A throat cleared loudly and we jumped. Lin had been sitting silently in the corner the entire time, eyes glued to his computer. His eyes strayed to us for a moment and he made a show of putting a pair of headphones on. "Holy shit, Lin knows all our secrets..."

"Trust me, I could care less about your schoolgirl-minded secrets," said Lin. Mai and I stuck our tongue out at him behind his back.

"She's following us," said Masako. "Nothing else is here, it's just her."

"John, why don't you start?" asked Kazuya.

Mai and I were watching the monitors as the others investigated room to room. Masako, Kazuya, and John were in the living room right below the stairs. The other two looked on as John started to recite the Our Father. He splashed holy water as he spoke. In the room across the hall, Houshou was reciting a mantra. Ayako was in the next room shaking some weird pom-pom looking thing. Suddenly, static filled the screen and we could barely make out anything. John's voice had stopped, but I could still hear the other two.

"JOHN!" Mai screamed suddenly. My heart dropped. She raced outside and I followed blindly. Houshou and Ayako emerged into the hallway and joined us in the rush downstairs. John was being held against the wall by Masako, who was unmistakably possessed. Kazuya was standing nearby and seemed to be trying to firmly coax Masako to overcome the spirit.

"MASAKO, NO!" Mai screamed. I pushed past Mai and ran towards Masako, whose aura had turned black. Ayako tried grabbing me from behind, but I shoved her back.

"STOP IT! GET AWAY FROM THEM, IT'S ME YOU WANT!" I yelled.

"Miss Shaw! Stay back!" Kazuya warned. I pushed past him and grabbed Masako's shoulder. She released John and turned to face me. The dark aura spilled out of her and rushed towards me. Everything suddenly went black.


	4. Chapter 4

"She's waking up."

"Thank goodness."

I opened my eyes and saw Ayako and Houshou standing over me. I was lying in a hospital bed.

"How are you feeling, Tex?" asked a puffy-eyed Houshou, putting a hand to my cheek. Our border glowed pink and his aura showed relief and worry. I smiled. I guess he was the closest thing I had to family in Japan now. But I was never going to call him Big Brother Hoo-Shoe. At least not to his face.

"My head hurts a little...Are you guys okay?" I asked. "Were you crying, Hoo-Shoe?" Guilt bubbled up. They exchanged looks as if to say 'Can you believe this girl?'

"You scared us half to death, kid. You were out for two days and it was starting to look really bad," said Houshou, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, and John's going to give you an earful when he wakes up." He nodded towards the foot of the bed. I looked and saw a mop of blonde hair. John had apparently scooted his chair up to the foot of the bed and laid his head down to sleep. He was still wearing his priest vestments and a rosary was still loosely clutched in his right hand.

"He's practically moved in here and barely left your side," said Ayako, crossing her arms. "And he's rightly pissed off that you weren't wearing that black cross necklace during the investigation. Not trying to sound like Naru, but that was stupid." She frowned at me, but her aura showed her worry.

"Um...what exactly happened?" I said. My aura was really dirty with spirit debris. Dammit. I'd have to use that stupid feather again.

"You got possessed and started acting crazy and trying to lash out at everyone. You went straight for me and tried to poke my eyes out or something," said Houshou, sounding kind of angry. "Ayako put a binding charm on you and John exorcised you. The spirit is still in the house, though. By the way, everyone is worried to death about you. Don't you ever scare me like that again, kid." He bent down to hug me, sniffing a bit. "Oh, ew, you stink. But, hey, two days without showering -" Ayako and I hit him at the same time.

John yawned, sat up and stretched. He turned towards me. There were dark circles under his eyes and the corners were red. His aura brightened and he smiled in relief when he saw me awake and looking at him. He scooted his chair up to the head of my bed.

"You're awake! You had me so worried, Layelle," John said softly. "I thought I had hurt you so bad..."

"We'll let you talk alone," said Ayako, looking between me and John. She took Houshou's arm and they walked out. I barely had time to think about the color of their aura border when John suddenly took my hand.

"Why weren't you wearing the necklace I gave you? It would have protected you because of the black tourmaline in it," I tried to scoot up to a sitting position. John silently helped, the orange streak of attraction in our border torturing me. I took a deep breath to gather myself.

"I had made a stupid mistake of taking it off to look at it better and ended up putting it on the table," I said. John's blue eyes suddenly looked very stern. "Once Mai spotted you in trouble, we ran out."

"Mai knows warding magic, Layelle. She may not be as powerful as Takigawa, but she knows how to defend herself against spirits," he said. "You provoked the spirit into possessing you and nearly died. You can't be doing that, Layelle. It's dangerous." His aura and his face were dead serious.

"I saw the spirit possessed Masako and had you against the wall. I didn't want to see you hurt," I said. My eyes got big. "Masako! How is she?"

"She's fine. All she could do was hold me there when she was possessed and her black tourmaline stud earrings prevented the spirit from hurting her. According to her, the spirit was draining your life force. You were unresponsive when I exorcised you. I was...I was really worried." He started fidgeting with the blanket, his brow furrowed.

"Ayako told me you've been staying here with me ever since I was out. You look so tired, John. Thank you so much for being there for me. I really appreciate it." Before I knew what I was doing, I was softly ruffling his hair with the hand closest to him. He closed his eyes and sighed happily. I think I liked this reaction. His aura was considerably duller than usual due to exhaustion, but now the bright yellow color of friendship had appeared next to the orange. I smiled. John rested his head on his arms and let me run my fingers through his thick blonde hair as he gazed out the window. The contact in silence was somewhat therapeutic and it seemed to be putting him to sleep. I watched his blue eyes grow heavy and then finally close.

After a few minutes of watching him sleep, I heard a throat clear softly and looked up to see the tall form of Kazuya leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and the tiniest smile on his face. Mai was beside him trying to suppress a giggle with her hand. The yellow streak between their auras was tinged with red. Houshou and Ayako were behind them, grinning ear to ear, the orange and yellow in their auras stood out since Houshou's arm was resting on her shoulder. I smiled at them all, aware that my face was beet red because they had caught me with my fingers still laced through John's hair as he slept. I delicately combed my fingers out of his hair so as to not wake him.

"Hi, guys. Come in," I said. "Any news?"

"We came to see how you were doing," said Mai, taking a seat next to Kazuya beside my bed.

"You seem to be doing a lot better," said Houshou, teasing. He and Ayako remained standing.

"I also brought your cell phone," said Kazuya, pulling it out of his pocket and flipping it open. "This may explain your ex-husband's call a couple of days ago." He handed it over and I took it. I peered at the call history screen. According to the phone, I had called him ten times that day that I had fled my house in the middle of the night. It wasn't so. The only people I ever called any more were my family and people I knew from school.

"Ten times? That's weird," I said.

"We contacted Nobu Yamada from a different phone -"

"Yeah, my phone," interrupted Houshou. "Nearly cussed him out myself."

"Regardless," said Kazuya. "He said that the phone calls lasted anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds and that only static and faint sounds of a woman's laugh was heard on the other side. He said he assumed it was you drunk-calling him."

"What?!" I said loudly, making John jerk awake. "Drunk-calling?! He can't be the one to talk! That stupid jerk!" I clenched my fists, wishing I could punch something.

"Drunk whaa?" John mumbled sleepily to my elbow. I was suddenly distracted from my anger. So cute. He looked up and noticed everyone looking at him. His face turned red. "Uh...G'day everyone." He sat up and started grooming his clothes and hair.

"Sleep well?" Ayako said, smirking.

"You looked kinda cozy," said Houshou, winking. John melted into a puddle of embarrassment. I stifled a giggle and couldn't resist giving his hair another ruffle. He tried to narrow his eyes at me but ended up bashfully shielding his hair with both his hands, blushing.

"Oh, lay off John, you guys," said Mai. She turned to face me. "There's also another thing. I had a dream with you in it last night. You were standing in a courtyard garden under a sakura tree and another man was with you. He had spiky black hair. You guys were talking and laughing and I kept seeing this old woman in the shadows muttering angrily while watching you. I couldn't make out anything she was saying. And then something weird happened. The whole scene vanished and this girl with a long braid reached out to me through total blackness and said 'You need to stop her before it's too late.'" Everyone including me stared at Mai in utter shock.

"...So you saw me and Nobu in his family's courtyard. He had a few elderly aunts, but the girl with the braid...must have been Neta, his sister…" I said, bringing my hand to my mouth, tears filling my eyes. "Neta was on the news the morning that John met me. They said…they said that she..." Unable to speak anymore, I broke into sobs as guilty feelings took over. John put an arm around me and drew me into his shoulder to let me cry. I immediately started to feel calm. The subtle scent of Irish Spring on his neck definitely helped.

"She had just found out that morning on the news that Neta's body had been found in Tokyo Bay and that she had gone missing a week before that," John explained. Houshou's brow furrowed.

"I never knew Nobu had a sister," said Houshou. Big surprise. Houshou and Nobu were never particularly close and had only tolerated each other for my sake. If Houshou wasn't a pacifist, he probably would have punched Nobu in the face a long time ago.

"Nobu would have never let you near his sister. She was the baby of the family even though she was just a year younger," I said, still sniffling a bit. I pulled away from John a little to speak to Houshou. John rubbed my back to help calm me. "She tried to get into the rock music scene but he never let her tag along. I mean, it pissed him off enough when I had already spent so much time with you and the band. No matter if I was just an occasional singer," I added the end bit for the benefit of the others when I saw a thread of jealousy in Ayako's aura.

"Hey, now that you're free of the ol' ball and chain, you should come jam with us in the studio some time," said Houshou.

"Wow, you sang for his band?" said John, impressed. I was about to reply when I saw a flash of impatience in Kazuya's aura. I looked at him and nodded for him to go ahead and speak.

"These aunts that you speak of," said Kazuya, his notepad in his hand. "Do you know any of them?"

"Well, I believe he has four. I've only ever seen one when I went with him to the family house. He called her Gin. The others were Kin, Rei, and Hatsu. The aunts made sure to take meals separately from me. They knew of my ability and were pretty scared of me. I never really spoke to any of them," I said.

"I'll have Yasu our researcher dig a little deeper on that," said Kazuya. "Nobu is too much of an uncooperative source."

"That's putting it mildly," I said. He looked at me as if to say 'You have no idea.'

"It was funny seeing Naru get increasingly annoyed as the phone call went on. He even gritted his teeth at one point," said Mai, giggling. Kazuya glanced at her from the side, his aura brightening with fondness. Awww.

"Anyway, the investigation of the house is at a standstill at the moment until we get a better understanding of who this spirit is and what the purpose of the haunting is," said Kazuya. "I think it's best for you to not stay at the house until the spirit is exorcised."

"Ouch," I said. "That's gonna cut into my budget. Time to stock up on ramen."

"You can stay with m - OW!" Houshou was smacked in the head by Ayako. I held back laughter.

"I've got room in my apartment, Layelle," said Mai. "No need to pay for a hotel room or anything."

"Why would you willingly eat ramen? It's cheap as dirt and nothing but mountains of salt," said Kazuya.

"Thanks, Mai. It's really nice of you," I said. "And Kazuya...when you're poor, taste takes a back seat to price."

"Taste in both senses of the word, apparently," retorted Kazuya. Geez! I kinda think I'm starting to understand why people call him Naru.

"Alright, so once I get discharged, how are we going to get the stuff I need out of my house without me almost getting killed again?" I asked.

"First off, you'll wear this and not take it off for any reason while you're inside the house." Before I knew what was happening, John took the black cross necklace out of his pocket and draped it around my neck in one fluid motion.

"Wow. Thanks, John. I gotta admit, I thought you were lassoing me for a moment," I said.

"Nah, give it a couple more months and after a few drinks," joked Houshou. John's eyes widened innocently, confusion in his aura.

"What does that mean exactly?" asked John hesitantly.

"If you need to ask, John, then never mind," said Houshou.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I could not wait to be free from that hospital room.


	5. Chapter 5

I hitched a ride with Mai, Kazuya, and Lin back to my house after I was released from the hospital later that day. Houshou and Ayako would drive John home and then come back to help. A black haired boy with glasses was sitting on the porch when we drove up.

"Yasu!" said Mai, her aura brightening a bit. She got out of the car to go talk to him. Jealousy sparked in Kazuya's aura in front of me. Hmm, interesting.

Lin, Kazuya and I got out of the car and joined them on the porch. Mai and Yasu were already laughing at something together. There was a bright yellow strip between their auras. I looked closely and didn't see any hint of romance between the two. I wouldn't think so. Mai clearly was into Kazuya. Enough to 'pop an orange' for him. I snickered at the little joke I just made up in my head. It was then that I noticed Kazuya giving me a deer in the headlights look. The jealousy in his aura turned to anger and he shot me a glare.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't use your powers for your own amusement, Miss Shaw," Kazuya said quietly so the other teens didn't hear.

"I wasn't laughing at you. Although, if you took some time to get to know her -"

"Miss Shaw!" Kazuya warned, his aura flaring in embarrassment. I giggled.

"Fine, fine. I get it. Love advice from the old lady sooo isn't cool," I said, giving him a sly grin. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he stewed in his embarrassment. Lin's awesome aura caught my attention and I saw waves of amusement going through it even though all he allowed himself to show on the outside was a minuscule upturn of the corners of his mouth. Mai finished up her conversation and turned back to us.

"Anyway, this is our client Layelle Shaw. Layelle, this is Osamu Yasuhara our researcher," introduced Mai. Yasuhara stepped forward and shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you. You can call me Yasu," he said. His aura was a grayish blue. An orange flash sparked in his aura when we shook hands. Oh, great...

"Nice to meet you," I said, reddening at the kind of smile he was giving me. I looked around at everyone. "Are we having a party on the porch or do we want to go in? I'll make some drinks and snacks if I don't get killed by an angry spirit."

"Lin can put his shiki around the kitchen so we don't have to worry about that," said Kazuya. Lin took out my house keys from his pocket and opened the door.

"Shiki?" I said, following behind Lin and Kazuya as they led the way to my kitchen. Lin stopped at the doorway and the others went in.

"Better come in so I can set them up," said Lin. Okay, don't explain it, then! I walked past him and stopped in the kitchen doorway, curiously watching his aura. What intrigued me about his aura was the metallic silver hue and the white lights that surrounded it. Right now, the lights were moving along the edge of his aura rapidly as if agitated. "Watch out!"

"Oh, shit!" I yelled as I felt the spirit grab my hair and yank my head back. I began to topple over backwards. Yasuhara shot forward and grabbed my arm. A high-pitched whistle sounded and white lights poured out of Lin's aura. I saw the lights surround a black mass and chase it out of the room. Lin wordlessly pushed me and Yasuhara into the kitchen. Judging by his aura, he was irritated with me.

"Here, sit down," said Yasuhara, pulling out a chair for me at the table. I lightly shrugged out of his grasp.

"Thanks, but I'm OK," I said. I checked the fridge and pantry. "Sandwiches and tea sound good to everyone? I think Hoo-Shoe helped himself to my food while I was gone." Leaving a pizza slice in the fridge with a single bite taken out of it was a signature Hoo-Shoe move. I heard Yasu laughing.

"Fine," said Kazuya. Mai got up from her seat.

"I'll help!" she said cheerfully. Her amber aura helped brighten up my drab kitchen.

"Thanks!" I smiled at her. She started on the tea while I made the sandwiches. The doorbell rang and Lin got up to answer it. I bit my lip to stifle laughter when he had to duck his head to exit out the kitchen doorway. He returned shortly with Houshou and Ayako.

"Yo, Tex," said Houshou. He lightly tossed a small white plastic packet at me. "From your little boyfriend." I caught it and glared at him. He just smirked and ruffled my hair. I opened the packet and pulled out a white beaded rosary and a church business card. It was a church located near the diner I had gone to. I noticed John was listed as a parochial vicar.

"St. Frances Xavier Catholic Church and School," I read. "Sounds fancy." I had been raised Catholic. In high school, my family attended the chapel on the air force base my dad had been stationed at. Once I married Nobu, he expected me to magically convert to Japanese Buddhism. I still prayed the rosary every night after he had gone to sleep. it just gave me a sense of comfort.

"It's a very beautiful church," said Ayako. "We solved a case there last Christmas where Mai got possessed by the spirit of a little boy and thought Lin was her father."

"Really?" I snorted, picturing Mai running after Lin like a little duckling. Mai's aura showed her embarrassment, and Lin's was rather unreadable. Mai and I distributed the refreshments to everyone. I hopped up and sat on the counter to free up a chair. Houshou held the chair for Ayako, his aura sparking bright orange when Ayako shot him a smile before sitting down. He leaned back on his elbow on the counter beside me. "Someone's popping an orange, I see," I whispered to him. I was really eager to use the joke I came up with earlier.

"Watch it, Tex, or I'll tell Yasu you think he's hot," he said, his aura showing he was embarrassed I had saw his little orange moment. I raised an eyebrow at him and looked at Yasu, who was eyeing me with an aura full of intrigue. His face just showed a polite smile and his chin rested on one outstretched finger. I glared at Houshou and he shot me a shit-eating grin.

"Yasu, what can you tell us about your research?" asked Kazuya. Yasu broke his gaze from me and turned to Kazuya.

"There's really nothing fishy about the history of the land or previous tenants. This used to be a singles apartment complex. Nothing remarkable about any of the tenants. No catty bitches that pulled hair or scratched people or anything," said Yasu, winking at me. I gaped at him. Did he really just say 'catty bitches' while reporting his research? I looked around the table and saw Mai, Ayako, and Houshou stifling laughter in her hand and Kazuya not looking the least bit disturbed about Yasu's behavior. So I guess this kid was the class clown?

"Anything else?" prompted Kazuya.

"As for the family that you had me do research on, There's lots of stuff on that. What do you want to know?" Yasu said, sorting through a folder.

"Any details on Neta Yamada's death?" I asked. I saw Houshou glance at me from the corner of my eye. Yasu quickly flipped to a page in his folder.

"This one is strange. No water in her lungs, no signs of foul play and she was perfectly healthy. The only explanation they could muster up was a brain aneurysm...I'm sorry." Yasu said the last part when he looked up and noticed me staring at my hands in my lap. Houshou reached over and squeezed my knee. Seeing our pink border made me feel a bit better.

"We may need more information on the aunts of Nobu Yamada. Gin, Kin, Rei, and Hatsu," said Kazuya.

"Okay, so the records of who lives in the Yamada family house in Okinawa are from three years ago. It was Ginjiro, the father, Sonomi, the mother, Neta, and the four aunts."

"Rei and Hatsu married into the family and are widows. Gin and Kin were never married," I said.

"Hmm." Kazuya sat back, his aura buzzing with concentration. He tapped his finger on the table idly.

"Any strange behavior from the women?" asked Ayako.

"I only ever saw Gin when I was there. She'd go back and forth getting the others food and drink. Avoided me as much as possible and only acknowledged other family members," I said.

"And the parents?" asked Kazuya.

"Very, very, very polite. I would have to try to not look at their auras because I creeped them out. Neta seemed okay with it, but Sonomi didn't really like her talking to me much. Nobu would pretty much handle any interaction I had with the family."

"Yasu, see if you can research more on that. Miss Shaw, you should start to gather your things. We'll keep some cameras up to try and catch any activity," said Kazuya.

"Right," I said, sliding off the counter. Ayako and Mai stood up to accompany me.

"So, do you teach at the elementary school a few blocks from here?" asked Mai, sitting on my bed as I rifled through my dresser, tossing things on the bed. Ayako made herself useful by folding everything to fit into my duffel bag. I had a feeling she had experience with packing lots of clothes. Score! I get to pack twice as much now.

"Nah," I said. "I teach at Yoyogi north of Shibuya by where that beautiful shrine is. May-jye Jing-goo, I think?" The other girls instantly broke into cackles.

"It's Meiji Jingu for future reference, Layelle," said Ayako after she was done laughing and wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "I'm starting to understand why you call Monk Hoo-Shoe."

"Oh yes, that was partly because I couldn't pronounce his name and partly payback because he kept pronouncing my name 'Lay-Air.' Anyway, I was born in south Texas and grew up around country music and country accents. My mom had a heavy accent and I definitely picked mine up from her," I said proudly. "I try to keep my accent out when I'm speaking Japanese, but sometimes it has a mind of its own."

"Like John and his Australian/Kansai accent," giggled Mai.

"I actually haven't heard John speak much Japanese," I admitted. "But his full on Australian accent? Love it."

"I noticed John started speaking English to you in the hospital, which is partly why we left you guys alone for a moment," said Ayako, smirking. I blushed.

"Someone has a crush," teased Mai. They looked at me with their auras bursting with amusement. I zipped up my duffel bag.

"You girls can't even talk. I can see y'all have crushes, too," I teased back.

They could only blush and follow me out of the room.

~*~

Staying at Mai's place meant an even shorter train ride to work. Mai had already left when I woke up, so I got ready and headed out to the supermarket. It was Friday and I had already missed practically that whole week with no notice, so I planned on getting my students some treats to make up for it. I grabbed a shopping basket and headed for the candy aisle when I heard a familiar voice.

"Layelle?" I turned around to see the bright blue aura and warm eyes of John Brown. He smiled when he confirmed it was me. Why did he have to be so cute?

"Hello, John," I said, giving him a bright smile. He fell into step beside me with his own shopping basket.

"You look great today," he said, giving me a once over. I had my curly hair drawn up into a ponytail and was wearing a business casual skirt and blazer. I blushed deep scarlet, realizing that I really did first meet him looking like a crazy person and this was the first time seeing me look halfway decent. He rubbed the back of his head, slight embarrassment running through his aura when he realized I caught him looking over me.

"Thanks. You too." I watched him turn red the same instant that I realized what I had said. Stupid brain! "Uh...heh. Thanks for the rosary, by the way. I never got a chance to get a new one."

"Oh, it was nothing. The kids at the orphanage and school help make them for fun and we often give them to new parishioners," said John. "Speaking of that, would you maybe want to come to mass some time? I never preside over mass, but we could go have lunch with the children afterward."

"I'd like that," I said. "I can probably come this Sunday if there isn't a breakthrough in the case."

"How are you holding up?" John asked.

"I'm great now. I'm staying at Mai's until further notice and I got so much sleep last night." I grabbed two bags of bulk candy off the shelf and stacked them in my basket.

"Got a sweet tooth?" John teased. I gave him a look and he grinned.

"This candy is for my students," I said, sticking my tongue out at him."It's Friday and I'm not even going to try and teach them new stuff before the weekend."

"So all of your students run wild on sugar highs?" John teased, giving me a sideways smirk that was too cute and sexy for his own good. His aura was filled with amusement.

"You know it. My classroom is an apocalyptic wasteland of feral children. You should visit. It's nice," I said, smirking back. He chuckled.

"I'm good. The kids at the orphanage always manage to spin me around about a hundred times per day when I visit them," said John.

"That I wanna see!" I giggled picturing it.

"You're welcome to visit any time," he said warmly.

"Great! I'll bring lots of candy."

"...Invitation revoked."

"Hey!" I bumped his shoulder playfully, making the orange and yellow lines in our border pop up. Curiosity rippled through his aura when he saw my eyes dart to our aura border.

"What is it that you see between us all the time?" asked John. "I always seem to catch you looking." I swallowed nervously.

"We have a yellow strip in our border which means we're friends," I said simply, avoiding his gaze.

"Hmm," he said, smiling. "Anything else?" I felt his eyes on my face.

"Why do you ask?" I stopped and faced him, meeting his blue-eyed gaze.

"You blush every time," he teased. I blushed then, making him chuckle.

"Do you really wanna know?" I asked, butterflies fluttering in my tummy. He nodded, his curiosity spiking. Here goes. "There's been an orange strip in our border ever since the first day we met."

"So...we're attracted to each other?" he said, seemingly fascinated by the revelation. His aura seemed to brighten a little.

"Yes." I said. We blushed simultaneously. Several minutes of silence went by with no aura activity or anything. "I probably shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry." I started to walk away.

"Wait a minute. Hold on." John stopped me. "We're still the same as we were a moment ago, except now I know specifically what you know too. It's okay. Really." He looked at me, his aura swelling in happiness.

"Thanks, John," I said, feeling relieved. I checked the time on my cellphone. "It's about time for me to go catch the train."

"It was nice to see you, Layelle." He smiled warmly.

"It was nice to see you too. Can I have your number in case I ever want to visit with candy and watch kids terrorize you?" I joked. He chuckled softly.

"Sure. Here." We swapped cellphones to put our numbers in each other's contact list. After we were done, he slipped my phone back into my hand, fingers lingering, and did the same with the hand that had his phone. My heart beat was suddenly in my ears. We both blushed and looked away as we tucked our phones away.

"Well...see you around," I said lamely, smiling at him.

"See you," he said, smiling sweetly.

I couldn't help but keep glancing back to catch glimpses of him as I waited in the checkout line. I was pretty sure of two things. One...John Brown was too damn cute for his own good. Two...If I wasn't careful, I could fall for him fast.


	6. Chapter 6

Mai had left me a voicemail to meet her at SPR after work. There was information waiting for me. I decided to go directly there, grabbing a bite to eat along the way. I walked in to see Mai, Houshou, Ayako, Yasuhara, and John sitting on the couches in the lobby.

"Hello and welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research - oh, Layelle! I almost didn't recognize you!" Mai said pleasantly. Her amber aura was like a little sun under the drab office lights. Houshou and Ayako were finishing up a squabble with each other, their touching auras showing a strip of orange. Yasu and John ended their conversation I walked in.

"Hi guys!" I said, walking over to the armchair by the window, crossing my legs as I sat. I noticed an orange flash in Yasuhara's aura, who was sitting at the couch to my right with John.

"If you had been a teacher at my high school, things would have been sooo much easier," he said, grinning and tilting his glasses up so I couldn't see his eyes from the glare of the office lights.

"Thank you, Yasu, for that mildly creepy comment," I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"You're welcome!" he quipped, grin still intact.

"You look weird in professional clothing," stated Houshou, looking at me like I had two heads.

"So did you survive the apocalypse today?" asked John. Everyone but me gawked at him.

"I managed to make it through the day alive. Fortunately, my offerings convinced them to maintain order and spare me my life," I said, winking.

"Okay, what?" said Mai, looking between me and John in confusion. He just smiled, which would seem pretty creepy out of context.

"I went to the store today to get candy for my class and saw John there. He seems to think that me giving candy to kids would end in disaster," I said. "I still think it would be a neat idea to take a bunch of candy to the orphanage so that we can see a John merry-go-round." The others laughed and John's aura swelled in amusement.

"Mai, I need tea." Kazuya had finally emerged from his office. He walked over and sat in the armchair across from me. His aura suggested he was in a foul mood.

"And I need you to say please!" retorted Mai, her aura bubbling with irritation. Kazuya fixed her with a cool stare.

"Mai. Tea. Now."

"Naru! It's just one word! Why can't you say it?" said Mai in frustration. Kazuya's aura sparked with amusement, but he set his face in a grumpy stare.

"Tea." His blue eyes stared into her brown ones. An orange flash showed up in his aura. We watched them back and forth, stifling giggles and laughter.

"I'll show you tea," Mai grumbled, getting up and stomping to the kitchen.

"Good," retorted Kazuya, flipping through his notepad. Mai gave a 'hmph' from behind the kitchen partition. "Miss Shaw, I thought you might want to know that your ex-husband called us about the case and that he claims his family has had similar hauntings." I gaped blankly at him, not sure how to react.

"Uh...he called here?" I asked. I had a bad feeling about this.

"He's coming here shortly to give his statement." Kazuya studied my face carefully, a flash of anxiety across his aura when my eyes widened in shock.

"What? Why was I called in? I don't want to see him!" I demanded, balling my fists.

"Yeah, Naru, what's the deal?" said Houshou angrily. "She doesn't need to see that scumbag anymore!"

"Nobu Yamada has proven to be uncooperative in the past, so I need Miss Shaw to aid me in reading him." said Kazuya. He looked at me. "You can tell if someone like him is lying, can you?"

"To an extent."

"You should work on expanding your powers," said Kazuya in a chastising tone.

"I would, but having no previous support and an oppressive marriage kind of prevents that," I said, crossing my arms. There was a long awkward silence.

"Not even your parents support you?" asked Houshou, sorrow in his eyes.

"My parents don't know. They just think I'm really perceptive," I said. "I just learned how to interpret this all on my own by observing and personal experience."

"You're welcome to read the book on auras on that shelf. It's next to astral projection," said Kazuya. I stood and walked past Yasu and John to the bookshelf. I found the book on auras and slid it out. I glanced at the other book titles.

"Wow. This is an intense book collection. This all yours?" I asked, turning to Kazuya.

"Yep." A streak of pride showed in his aura.

"Wow. I wasn't reading books like this in high school," I said, making my way back to my seat.

"That's because your brain doesn't work like mine." The others groaned.

"Oh, really," I said through gritted teeth. I mumbled under my breath, "See if your brain works if I pop you upside the head with this book." I plopped into my seat unceremoniously.

"It would still work the same. I'd just be mildly angry," deadpanned Kazuya.

"Oh, Naru's got jokes!" I said, flipping through the book.

"And another one crosses the Naru nickname threshold," laughed Houshou. Mai came back with tea for everyone and sat between Yasu and John on their couch.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," she said, throwing a smirk at Kazuya.

"Alright, so what was this information that you called me in for?" I said, snapping the book closed and setting it on my lap.

"We've come up with the theory that the spirit haunting you is the result of a curse," said Kazuya. A chill ran up my spine and saw the others react likewise in their auras. "The only activity that happens is when you're present. Masako made another walk-through while you were in the hospital and was unable to sense anything. Nothing happened when we tried to make the spirit show itself. But once we brought you back to the house, the spirit returned and tried attacking you. Lin also had felt it trying to get past his shiki while we were sitting in the kitchen."

"But...who could have put a curse on me?" I wondered.

"Someone who knows your full name."

"Well, that narrows it down," I said sarcastically. The front door opened and we all looked to see the newcomer. My stomach lurched at the sight of him. Nobu had spiky black hair with a blonde streak in the front and wore ripped jeans and a plaid button-up shirt. It was as if a pop singer suddenly decided to dress as a lumberjack. His eyes immediately found me, his dull teal aura strangely dark. It rippled with alcoholic influence.

"Mr. Yamada, I presume?" asked Kazuya, standing up.

"Fancy seeing you here on a Friday night, Layelle," said Nobu, completely ignoring Kazuya. "I'd expect you to be whoring it up at some dive bar." Before I could react, Houshou leapt to his feet and crossed to Nobu in three strides. His aura shook with anger.

"You have no right talking to her like that!" Houshou growled.

"Oh. Houshou, right? Are you the one she's fucking now?" said Nobu, highly amused. John stood and calmly went between the two men as if he were a referee.

"You've got some nerve coming in here and talking shit!" yelled Houshou, trying to nudge his way past John's shoulder.

"Takigawa, calm down," John urged, standing firm.

"Let me hit him just once!" By now everyone was standing, looking on helplessly. I came up next to the men.

"Houshou, don't waste your energy on him," I said, trying to sound soothing. "As much as I'd love to see his ass beat, he's just a crap excuse for a man just trying to get a rise out of you. And he's drunk off his ass."

"Stay out of this, slut," Nobu hissed, shoving me back hard. I stumbled backwards but managed to stay standing.

"Hey, you keep your hands off of her!" yelled John, a flash of fury going through his aura. Nobu swung a left hook and connected with John's chin, causing him to fall backwards to the ground. Houshou immediately tackled Nobu. More punches were thrown between the two men and suddenly Nobu had the upper hand. Yasu set his glasses on the coffee table and jumped into the fray. Mai and Ayako looked on in horror. Kazuya was utterly shocked.

"Guys, stop!" I screamed, running to stand over John so they wouldn't trample him. Lin suddenly appeared. He wrestled Houshou and Yasu off of Nobu and then held Nobu in a light chokehold.

"Kindly don't come back," he snarled, walking him to the door and tossing him outside roughly. He slammed the door and locked it. He turned around and cast a disapproving look at all of us before walking back to his office.

Everyone jumped into action at once. Mai and Yasu attempted to calm Houshou down and Ayako joined me kneeling beside a dazed John, placing an ice pack on his jaw. He twitched when the cold touched his skin.

"John? John, wake up." I rubbed his cheek softly. He stirred and then opened his eyes, taking a moment to focus them up at us. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. He didn't hurt you, did he?" He scooted the ice pack over a little.

"No. Lin kicked him out." The corners of his mouth turned up.

"Are you in pain at all?" asked Ayako, lightly feeling around his jaw.

"My chin hurts is all...and kind of just stunned." said John. His aura still held the remnants of anger.

"Come on, let's get you on the couch," said Ayako. I helped heave John to his feet and led him to the couch. Ayako went to help Houshou, who was sporting a bloody swollen lip and was holding it over the sink in the kitchen.

I glanced up to see Kazuya silently walking into his office, his aura dark and full of guilt.

"Naru?" I called out. He stopped and turned his head to the side. "Nothing that happened tonight is your fault." His aura lightened just a bit, but he continued walking to his office and shut the door behind him.

"Ow, woman! That hurts!" Houshou whined from the kitchen.

"Stop flapping your lips, then!" Ayako scolded. I bit back laughter, turning back to John. He was lying back on the couch holding the ice pack to his chin, looking like a puppy that had just gotten kicked.

"I'll get you a glass of water and Tylenol, alright?" I said, ruffling his hair gently. He nodded, closing his eyes. I walked into the kitchen where Yasu was bandaging his knuckles. "Wow. Nice going, Yasu!"

"Thanks!" His aura swelled with pride and he grinned. "I won't let no one hit up on my man! Ain't that right, Monk baby?"

"Hrrrrr!" groaned Houshou like a wounded animal, who had his lip trapped in Ayako's grasp as she treated it. I nearly dropped the glass I was filling as I laughed. He frowned at me.

"I'm sorry, bro, but that sound you just made was hilarious. Thanks for having my back, by the way." His look softened as I gave him a side hug to not interfere with Ayako's work.

"What about me?" pouted Yasu.

"Bring it in, Yasu," I said, extending my other arm to include him in the hug. Houshou made his wounded animal noise again as Yasu leaned over me to rest his head on Houshou's shoulder. Smiling, I pulled away from the hug and took the glass of water back to John. He was sitting up now and testing his jaw by opening and closing it. I sat down next to him.

"I'm really sorry, John," I said, digging the Tylenol bottle out of my purse and taking a couple out.

"You don't need to apologize, Layelle," said John, accepting the Tylenol and swallowing it down with water. "Nobu's the one that did it. Not you. At least...I'd hope you wouldn't punch me in the face." The corner of his mouth tweaked up.

"You're too cute to punch in the face," I said, enjoying the crimson blush that spread across his cheeks.

"Uh...thanks," he stammered. He turned his face away bashfully. He was so innocent! I almost felt guilty baiting him into blushing. Almost. Houshou, Ayako, and Yasu joined us on the couches. Yasu put his glasses on and was suddenly interested in John's red face. His eyes flickered between me and John, clarity spiking in his aura. A knowing smirk showed up on his face. I coughed and turned away so I didn't have to look at him.

Mai exited Kazuya's office hugging her tea tray to her chest. Her aura was darker and her face was glum.

"Naru says that we can all go home for the night. We'll call you when we need you, I guess," she said. Houshou stood up and walked over to her.

"Why so sad, Mai?" he asked, giving her a hug.

"Naru's mad at himself again because the case is getting nowhere," she said, returning the hug, a pink border between their auras. "But who comes to a meeting drunk, anyway?"

"Heh. The bigger question is where does he show up sober?" I said bitterly.

"Enough, you guys!" Houshou said. "It's Friday! Let's all go out to dinner or something! Who's in?"

A great collective rumbling of stomachs was proof enough that everyone was all for the idea.

~*~

We ended up eating at the diner that John and I first met since none of us could agree on one thing to eat. It was nice to have a big gathering of friends like this. Laughing, joking, and not having to worry about fitting in. Nearly everything we said ended in fits of laughter. After a couple hours we all decided to start heading home. Everyone exchanged hugs and goodbyes at the door. I blushed extra hard hugging John, and he did the same.

Mai and I made a Starbucks run before catching the train. We were the only ones on the train when we boarded save for one elderly woman fiddling with something inside her purse. A black embroidered shawl was draped over her head and she appeared to be muttering to herself. Her aura almost reminded me of Lin's, except hers was a dull dark gray, the edges a defined line instead of a soft fade. Unlike Lin's, her aura gave me a bad sense of foreboding. I glanced at Mai and subtly guided her to give the woman a wide berth. Mai glanced back at the woman, her aura buzzing with thought.

"What is it?" I whispered. The buzzing in her aura ceased, and then panic set in before spreading to her wide brown eyes. She clutched my arm tightly.

"I...I think that's the woman I saw in my dream."


	7. Chapter 7

"Mai, text Naru and let him know that we're on the train with the woman. Tell him she has an aura like Lin's but darker," I whispered, glancing at the woman constantly. Mai whipped out her phone and began typing rapidly.

The woman continued to rummage through her purse and mutter to herself. I couldn't make out anything she was saying. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. The woman's aura was swirling now, and a black outline was starting to form on the edges. What the hell was going to happen and what do we do? I knew Mai could perform warding magic against spirits, but what about creepy old ladies with fucked up auras?

The lights in the train car started to flicker.

"L-Layelle?" Mai whispered fearfully, hesitating in her texting. I took the phone from her and quickly completed the message for her.

"Just try to stay calm," I whispered, linking her arm with mine. "I'll keep an eye on her. She's doing something weird with her aura."

"Like what?" asked Mai, her fearful eyes widening. I focused on the woman again, examining her movements.

"It's kind of like...when Lin is about to release his shiki." I heard my voice quiver. Mai stifled a gasp in her hand. I had been numb with shock up until this point when my own words sank in. I felt goosebumps prickle up my arms. What was this woman doing? Please, Lord, keep us from harm…

My hand shot into my purse. I kept the rosary and necklace John had given me in a side pocket in my purse. I took them out and handed Mai the necklace.

"Put this on," I told her.

"But what about you?" Mai asked.

"I have the rosary. The necklace is to protect you. I'm going to pray. Just stay calm, Mai." With the rosary in my grasp, I started on the first prayer. "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth…"

The woman turned her head suddenly. Her aura showed her awareness of my actions, the black shiki on the border prickling in agitation. She started murmuring faster.

"Naru just texted back. They'll meet us at the train stop," said Mai. Her fearful aura pulsed with her quickened heartbeat. Her arm tightened on mine and her eyes darted repeatedly between the woman and my rosary.

"Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…" As I said this next prayer, a sliver of recognition showed in Mai's aura. Most likely she had heard the prayer during John's exorcisms and cleansings before. I finished the Lord's prayer and moved on to the Hail Mary. We would reach our stop in a couple of minutes.

The woman turned halfway in her seat. Black eyes peered at us through a black shawl. Mai and I flinched. They were an unholy kind of black. Hateful. Her wrinkled lips barely moved in her muttering. I met her eyes defiantly, voicing my prayers louder. The air felt like it was getting thicker and held an electric charge.

"Layelle! There are shadows!" Mai whispered. She was right. Shadows darted around the inside of the train car.

The rosary was violently tugged from my grasp, shattering the strand and sending beads flying. Mai's necklace was also tugged, but it didn't break. Mai screamed. I gripped both of her hands with mine and looked towards the woman again, continuing the rosary prayers without the beads. She watched me with a sinister grin, her teeth yellowed and decayed. A dark shadow poured out of her and shot straight towards me. Mai stepped in front of me with her hands in front of her.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazara dan kan!" The shadow ricocheted against an invisible barrier and growled. I barely noticed the train slowing to a stop.

"Mai, when the doors open, run," I said, taking a defensive stance.

"I will kill you even if you run," said the woman with a gravelly voice.

"What do you want?!" I demanded.

"Only for you to die," the woman spat. "Temptress. Sinner." Her hateful gaze bore into me.

Suddenly, cold engulfed my body and I realized that the dark shadow that had come out of her earlier was now possessing me. I tried to scream but found that I no longer controlled myself.

'As it should be, whore, to keep your sinful mind and lustful actions in check.' The voice was inside my head. It was a deep alto voice, raspy from hate and anger.

'Sinful mind and lustful actions?' I had trouble recalling the last time I used 'lustful actions.' Did ruffling hair and hugging count?

'You violate the sanctity of marriage. You disgust me.'

'I'm not married anymore. Not sure if you got the newsletter.' I felt the spirit's rage increase at my words.

'The bond of marriage cannot be broken by a measly slip of signed paper, you whore.'

'Stop calling me a whore. Seriously, I haven't even slept with another person…' I had been celibate ever since the separation. Nobu, on the other hand...

'Yet you think lustful thoughts about that priest, and behave yourself as if he is your husband instead of your actual husband!'

'What? No, I don't! I may have told him I'm attracted to him, but we haven't even done anything! Stupid prudish spirit! Go possess my ex-husband if you're so pissed off about extramarital affairs!'

"Layelle?" asked Mai uncertainly. I'm pretty sure I looked pretty weird staring off into space having an internal conversation.

"I'm fine," the dark spirit made me say.

The train doors opened and Lin ran through, closely followed by Naru, who ran to Mai. Lin and the woman instantly locked gazes. Suddenly, he was whistling and his white shiki shot out from his aura and started to dissipate the shadows.

The dark spirit made me walk towards Lin. She was going to try to choke him. Lin's eyes met mine and suddenly a white-hot pain tore through my middle as one of his shiki passed through me, dropping me to my knees. The spirit screamed in my head.

"Ayako, bind them now!" Lin yelled. I heard Ayako's voice reciting a chant. The dark spirit wasn't able to move me anymore. My eyes sealed shut so I was unable to see what was going on. Strong arms lifted me and carried me off. I could hear the voices of the others drifting behind us as I was carried away from the train.

"We'll get you out of this, Tex," said Houshou, setting me somewhere raised. "John, she's possessed! Ayako just put a binding charm on her. I'm going back to help!"

"Okay. I'll start now," said John. Footsteps faded as Houshou ran off. I felt a wet cross being traced on my forehead. I felt a faint pain in that spot which was probably the spirit being affected by the holy water.

'What's happening?!' The spirit sounded apprehensive.

'I'm going to be free of you soon.'

'Not a chance, whore.'

'You'll be exorcised by him shortly.'

'Then I'll just kill you before your priest lover can save you.'

A searing pain ran through me as John began reciting the Lord's Prayer and splashing me with holy water. I watched my aura depleting slowly. I started to focus on John's words, concentrating on their meaning and the quiet power he held in his inflection of saying them. My aura stopped depleting after I started focusing on his words.

'No...'

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..."

The spirit started using my mouth to scream and squeal. I could only feel faint traces of pain as John continued the exorcism. I continued to focus on his words.

"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I command unto thee to whatever part of the body thou mayst be hiding. Show thyself at once and flee thee from the person thou hast occupied. Leave at once!" I detected a bit of strain in his voice as the spirit screamed louder to try and drown him out. "Leave the body you have imprisoned and seek not a body that was given unto God the Almighty. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I forbid thee from entering this hallowed body again for all eternity."

John finished with saying something in Latin and I felt a huge weight lifted off me as I felt the spirit start to leave my body. The spirit let out one last sigh of relief before relinquishing control of me. I opened my eyes and watched it dissipate into a white light as it left me. I caught myself before I slumped over and looked around to find myself sitting in the back of the SPR equipment van. I turned my head the other way to meet John's gaze. His bright blue aura was my beacon of light.

"Layelle," John said with tremendous relief going through his aura. "Layelle, thank God…"

"John," I said, smiling. He knelt over me and gently took my face in his hands. I could see our orange border like always and wondered if he was about to kiss me. I met his bright blue gaze and then closed my eyes when his face started to inch closer. Lips met my temple and he kissed a trail down to my cheek before drawing his arms around me and burying his face in my shoulder. I felt light-headed as I felt his lips pressing into my shoulder.

I hugged him back and let my forehead rest on his shoulder to take in the subtle scent of Irish spring soap on him. It had a soothing effect on me and I couldn't think of anything else that could make me feel safer. I nuzzled into his shoulder and felt him sigh.

"You need to stop scaring me like this," he said, voice muffled by my shoulder.

"You're incredible, John," I said, my voice also muffled. "I saw the spirit was cleansed as it left me." Tears left my eyes and I couldn't help but weep into his shoulder in relief. He just held me in silence, rubbing my back to soothe me. I heard footsteps as the rest of the group returned.

"John, is she alright?" I heard Naru ask. John lifted his head from my shoulder to speak.

"Yes. I managed to exorcise and cleanse the spirit. What happened with the woman?" John asked.

"Lin, Takigawa, and Miss Matsuzaki managed to get rid of most of her shiki, but Lin says she still has two shiki. One is a demon," said Naru, his voice hardening at the last part. My head shot up and I looked towards Naru. He stood beside the van with Mai, one arm around her shoulders protectively as she wept silently into his chest. Their auras were both exhausted and Mai's seemed a bit depleted. "Mai found that out the hard way."

"How?" asked John, his aura spiking in alarm.

"Mai thought it would be a good idea to take the cross from the broken rosary and stick it against the woman's arm," said Naru, sounding angry at that. "The demon shiki tried possessing her, but couldn't because the necklace prevented it. Instead, Mai fainted and was tormented by the demon in her dream until Lin could get the woman subdued." Mai tightened her arms around Naru's waist and he brought his other arm around her. Their border was a mix of red and yellow now. The mix of the colors showed that they couldn't quite make up their minds about each other.

"The woman is Chinese. That would make her one of the aunts that married into the family. Rei or Hatsu," said Lin. He was standing between Ayako and Houshou, leaning on their shoulders for support. Everyone was exhausted by the look of their auras.

"What do we even do now?" I asked, wiping tears from my eyes. "There's a crazy lady after me that sends old-fashioned, traditional-minded spirits after me to punish me because I'm not 'honoring my marriage' anymore." John blushed, causing a bit of humor to show in Ayako's and Houshou's auras.

"We call up Nobu Yamada and tell him that he'd better tell us more about his aunt in his best interest if he wants us to take his case," said Naru.

"Their family house is in Okinawa, Naru. That's 3 or 4 days by vehicle. We don't even know where Nobu is, let alone where his aunt ended up," said Houshou.

"We'll find them," said Naru simply. "Miss Matsuzaki, could I ask you to stay with Mai and Miss Shaw tonight? I have a feeling that Mai may have more dreams and Miss Shaw needs her rest.

"If I may," said John. "I can stop by with them and bless the apartment. It would be best after their exposure to demons and dark spirits tonight."

"I agree that it would be best, John," said Naru. He looked down at Mai, his expression softening and his aura streaked with worry. She lifted her head up to meet his gaze, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Naru lifted his hand to gently wipe a teardrop off her face. Everyone took that as a hint to shuffle off to the side to give them a little privacy.

"Are you ok to drive, Lin?" asked Ayako.

"I'll be fine. It's just incredibly taxing to fight against another onmyoji," said Lin, running a hand through his hair. His shiki were sitting dormant on his aura border and gave off waves of exhaustion. "Not to mention, one with demon shiki." I shivered, jostling John, who gave me a concerned look.

Houshou smirked at me and I only just realized I was still holding on to John. I blushed and let go. Disappointment showed in both our auras. I blinked and looked down at myself as I focused on my aura again. It had been depleted earlier when the dark spirit had possessed me. It was now back to its original state, although some aura feather dusting was needed to get some spirit debris out.

"I think you helped recharge my aura somehow, John," I said. Everyone regarded me with a curious look. "Well, the dark spirit drained me a bit and after hugging John and whatnot, my aura is pretty much back to normal. I'd usually have to wait for a day or two for it to recover."

"So, John is like your Energizer bunny?" teased Houshou. I slapped a hand over my mouth to hide my grin as John flushed a brilliant red.

"I guess he's about the right color to be one now," I joked. I poked his cheek playfully.

"It would be helpful now more than ever to read through the aura book and test ways to expand your abilities," said Naru quietly. I looked towards him. Mai's tears had ceased and she was leaning her cheek against his chest with her eyes closed, her arms snug around his waist. Naru was resting his chin on the top of her head, both of his arms wrapped around her. Both of their auras were blissful, calm, and replenished.

"It looks like Naru is Mai's Energizer bunny," I said, smiling at them. Mai's eyes shot open and her cheeks flamed when she saw they were now the center of attention. "Or Mai. Mai is the right color." Naru cleared his throat, a tiny hint of embarrassment in his aura.

"It's getting late. Let's get them home and get the cleansing over with," he said to John and Ayako.

It was a short way to the apartment, so everyone walked. Houshou sidled up beside me and threw an arm around my shoulders.

"I don't know how you did it, Tex, but I'm glad you and Mai aren't in the hospital right now," he said.

"Well, I really put my faith in the power of prayer. And if Mai hadn't stepped in front of me and warded off the initial attack, I would have been a lot worse for wear," I said.

"Which reminds me. You need this back since your rosary broke," said Mai, starting to take off the necklace.

"Keep it on, Mai. See how your dreams turn out first," said John. "Layelle can use mine tonight." Mischief sprung up in Houshou's aura and he ducked away from my elbow jab.

"Layelle's using John's whatnow tonight?" He said loudly, dancing away from my attempts to hit him. Lin, Naru, and Mai rolled their eyes. Ayako smacked him upside the head. John's expression was like a deer in the headlights. A ripple of orange went through his aura, followed by a touch of panic when he glanced sideways at me and saw me looking at him. A deep blush spread across his cheeks when I winked at him and smirked.

We all piled into Mai's apartment and waited as John took out his Bible and holy water. The others were able to watch from the living room as Mai and I followed John, who blessed every room in the house with holy water, including anointing the corners, doors, and windows. He ended in the living room with the Prayer to Saint Michael.

"There. That should do it," said John, smiling at us.

"Thanks, John. That was really cool," said Mai. " Does anyone want tea before you go?

"That's okay, Mai. It's late and you need rest," said Naru.

"Naru refusing tea...how about that," teased Ayako. Naru simply ignored her and led Mai into the kitchen. She shared an amused glance with Houshou. Lin, however, stopped being interested after the blessing and started reading through my gradebook which was on the coffee table.

"Layelle." I looked at John to see him standing as far away from Houshou as possible. "Could I...speak with you for a moment?"

"Be careful, John," said Houshou. "Layelle has experience in using-OW! BAKA!" He glared at me. I had poked him in his hurt lip.

"Stop it, Hoo-Shoe!" I took John's hand and led him into my room, closing the door. I ignored Houshou and Ayako giggling and whispering on the other side. "What's up, John?"

"I just wanted to lend you my rosary," he said, pulling his rosary out of his pocket and setting it on my dresser. His eyes passed over all the random body sprays and hair stuff I had scattered on it. He seemed more relaxed now that Houshou wasn't watching our interactions. "I'm starting to think they should make indestructible ones for you, though." I started to hit him playfully in the arm but he grabbed my hand. He smirked at me. "Why so violent?"

"Ha. This is me being gentle," I said, winking. He blushed, a ripple of orange going through his aura. "Geez, John, you sure do blush a lot."

"You make me blush on purpose," he said, turning away bashfully. "It's not fair." I giggled.

"Too bad, hun. You're cute when you blush," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "And what's not fair?" He looked at me, his aura buzzing with thought.

"You don't blush as easily now when you look at our auras," John said. "It's almost like you're blush immune." I snorted.

"Blush immune? Okay," I laughed. "Try me. Try to make me blush." I crossed my arms and tried to hold in my laughter.

"Nuh-uh, that's not the same!" protested John. "Now you're expecting it."

"I'm sorry, next time I'll draft up elaborate game rules so we can both play fair," I said. John fixed me with a stern look and crossed his arms. "Kidding, John. Kidding."

"You know what?" John said, walking up to where I was sitting on the bed. "You need to watch that mouth..." He stood so his legs were touching mine and that he was towering over me. "...or else you'll be in trouble." With blue eyes boring into mine, he reached out and brushed a thumb across my lips, sparking our orange border. I felt my face grow hot. Suddenly John grinned and straightened up, pulling away from me. "Score one for me."

"That was sooo not fair!" I said, fanning my face. "You touched me excessively to make me blush." John just shrugged and smirked at me.

"I guess I'll make it up to you," he said, and before I knew it, he was cornering me against the door. I instantly turned the shade of a tomato. His face came closer, our orange border lighting up, and then...

...He opened the door and marched past me into the living room.

"John Brown, you get back here!" I yelled, flustered. The others looked up with interest at our return to the living room. John just turned to me, a bit of mischief in his aura.

"Score two."

~*~

After the males had left, Ayako, Mai, and I found ourselves sitting in the living room watching late night television and lounging restlessly on the couches.

"So...Layelle. What was up with you and John earlier?" Ayako asked, trying to act nonchalant. Her aura was bubbling with curiosity.

"N-nothing," I said. "We were just being silly."

"Oh? And why were you blushing so hard?"

"I wasn't blushing...I was just...not blushing," I finished lamely. Ayako and Mai giggled.

"Uh-huh. I take it you were kissing?" prompted Mai. I sighed.

"No. He acted like he was but opened the door instead," I said, blushing. "Kind of why I yelled at him to come back."

"Poor Layelle," said Ayako. "You had to go for the virgin priest." I opened my mouth to reply to that, but thought better of it.

"Anyway...Mai...what were you and Naru up to in the kitchen?" I asked, grinning slyly. Mai blushed.

"He told me I scared the hell out of him tonight. And then he kissed me!" Mai sighed wistfully. "Naru is a really good kisser." Ayako and I teased her by making kissing sounds until she threw couch cushions at us.

That was pretty much how the whole night was like. Girl talk, late night TV, and falling asleep on the couch. In the morning, the break in our case would come.


	8. Chapter 8

"No! Stop! NOOO!"

I sat up suddenly on the couch I had been sleeping on. Ayako turned on a lamp, which temporarily blinded me. I blinked and focused on Mai, who was still asleep, lounged across her armchair. Her brow was sweaty and her amber aura was dark and tormented. I also detected a hint of a gray aura hovering over hers.

I was not prepared for the shriek that came next.

"AAAAAAAAHH!" Mai thrashed and nearly fell off of the armchair. Ayako and I rushed to catch her. "YOU'RE KILLING HER!"

"Mai!" Ayako yelled, her voice and aura stricken with panic. She grabbed Mai's arm.

"NO!" Mai sat up abruptly. The faint gray aura disappeared and shock ran through her aura. Her wide brown eyes stared at us as she caught her breath.

"What happened?!" I asked, bewildered.

Tears welled up in Mai's eyes and she fell into Ayako's arms sobbing. Ayako exchanged a worried glance with me over Mai's head.

"We should call Naru," she said. I nodded.

"I'm on it." I grabbed Mai's cell phone and dialed him from there since I didn't have his number. He answered on the second ring.

"Mai? Please tell me you're okay," said Naru. His voice sounded grave.

"Actually, Naru, this is Layelle," I said. "Mai had another one of her dreams. She's okay. It's just that it sounded really bad." There was silence on the line for a minute.

"Tell him t-to call J-John!" said Mai urgently through her tears. "He needs to hear this."

"Mai says to-"

"Yes, Miss Shaw, I heard her. I'll have John come with Masako. All of SPR will be meeting at Mai's apartment," said Naru.

"Really?" I asked, puzzled. "Why not the office? aren't you guys going to be there today?"

"Lin and I were attacked by a spirit at the office this morning," said Naru. "So that's a no go."

"Are you guys okay?" I asked in alarm.

"We're fine, Miss Shaw," said Naru. "Just prepare to accommodate everyone and help Mai stay calm until we get there." He hung up abruptly instead of ending the call like a normal person.

I filled in Mai and Ayako on what was happening and, like typical girls, we all fretted over making ourselves look presentable for company.

I had just stepped into the living room, freshly showered and dressed, when Naru and Lin arrived. Lin's shiki were moving restlessly along his aura border and anger pulsed his aura. Naru made a beeline for Mai, his aura dominated by worry. She reached for him, her aura filled with relief. Naru perched on the arm of her chair and put an arm around her shoulders. The red in their aura border had formed into a distinctive stripe. They were more certain of their feelings for each other.

"You ok?" he asked softly. She nodded. I set a tea tray on the coffee table with cups of tea. Naru's aura pulsed with displeasure when he took a sip out of his cup. "This is oolong tea." At those words Lin grabbed a cup, setting it beside him as he set up his laptop on the coffee table.

"That's the only type I saw in the cabinet. Sorry," I said. Naru threw an expression at me that I interpreted as 'you suck.'

"Oops. Next time serve the Earl Grey. It's in the green tin behind the oolong one," said Mai. She giggled at Naru's sour face as he took another sip. He exaggerated the face at her, causing her to giggle louder. Ayako and I exchanged amused glances.

"About time," mouthed Ayako. I nodded in agreement.

Houshou and Yasu arrived with pastries. Ayako and I nearly bowled them over before they could even set the boxes down.

"Hey! Watch it, ya hags!" scolded Houshou. "There's enough here for everyone to have two!" The 'hag' comment earned him a wallop on the head from both of us. I set my pastry by my teacup on the coffee table and unceremoniously threw myself down on the empty loveseat.

"Stop eating like a pig or you'll bust your lip open again," Ayako scolded Houshou, sitting between him and Yasu on the couch.

"Yeah, like you did when you ferociously kissed me goodnight last night," said Yasu. Houshou nearly choked. Ayako wholeheartedly thumped him on the back as he coughed. I just sat back and giggled at their antics. Across the way, Mai nibbled on a pastry, sweat-dropping at the force Ayako was using. Naru was absentmindedly staring at her as his aura buzzed with thought.

The door opened once more and Masako Hara walked in, followed by John. I stood to make room for them to sit.

"Hi guys. Nice to see you again, Masako," I said, smiling at her.

"Glad to see you're alright, Layelle," said Masako, bowing slightly. Her lilac aura sparkled with amusement.

"Good morning," said John, stepping forward and bringing me into a hug. At this rate, I would develop a Pavlovian response for the scent of Irish Spring to remind me of him. I noticed Masako give us an amused side glance, her sleeve covering her smile and her eyes twinkling as she took a seat.

"Pastry?" I offered them. The others seemed content in just sitting back to watch our interactions with amused auras.

"It's alright. I'll get it," said John, smiling sweetly as always. "You can sit down." I sat next to Masako, watching as John gave her a pastry and cup before getting some for himself. Strips of pink and yellow in their aura border showed that they were close friends. John went to stand beside us, but I looped a finger in his side belt loop and gently tugged him until he sat down on the arm of the loveseat. We exchanged smiles.

"Okay. Now that we're all here, let's discuss what we've experienced so far," said Naru. He spent a couple of minutes updating Masako and Yasu on what happened on the train last night. Masako's eyes kept darting between Naru and Mai. When Naru mentioned Mai's part in pressing the cross against the old woman's arm, Mai leaned against him with her forehead against his shoulder for comfort. At that point, I noticed feelings of sadness and defeat in Masako's aura. I looked at her from the corner of my eye and subtly brushed a hand against her arm in a gesture of comfort. I felt her gratitude as she shyly smiled at me, her eyes still sad. Wait. Felt her gratitude? Before I could linger on the thought any longer, Naru changed the subject.

"Mai, are you okay to share the dream that you had last night?" he asked softly. She lifted her head and nodded.

"I saw...how Neta Yamada died." She looked at me, her eyes apologetic. I steeled myself and nodded for her to go on. "Neta had been sneaking out at night. There was a girl from her school that she bonded with and they started dating. She would sneak out to be with her girlfriend and the aunt knew of it. One night, her shiki were sent to kill Neta by draining her of her life force. The girlfriend was possessed and dragged Neta's body into the bay. They killed the girlfriend as well."

"That's insane!" said Houshou, his aura filled with shock. "What the hell is wrong with this woman?!"

"I'm sure it's the mind of the demon influencing her," said Lin. He sat back from his laptop to take a sip of tea. "Those that capture shiki know that you must be able to control the shiki to do your bidding. Taking on a demon requires a lot of power. Judging from the number of shiki that she had on the train, it's doubtful that she was able to keep control of all of those dark entities. And a demon on top of all of that!" He sighed heavily and shook his head, his aura spiking in anger once more. "She was very careless in choosing what type of shiki to capture." A shiki in his aura actually nodded in agreement. Or it looked like nodding, if a little white streak could nod.

"There was more to my dream," said Mai. "It has to do with Layelle and John, so I don't know if you guys want me to tell you privately or what." John and I exchanged apprehensive glances.

"Go ahead," said John. I nodded.

"Shiki had been following Layelle around secretly and once she met John, they were unable to do any real harm to her anymore besides that first time. They also noticed that you guys are fond of each other and think Layelle is still married to Nobu. I also saw them possessing Nobu and making him kill Layelle...and then he was about to go after John before I woke up." I didn't even have to look around to know that everyone was looking at Mai in shock.

"So, Nobu may already be possessed," said Naru. His aura showed anger like Lin's, but alongside a bit of worried feelings."We'll use precaution by meeting him in a public place if need be, and Layelle and John are not to be present. It's too risky."

"But, Kazuya! If Nobu is possessed, I'm the only one that can exorcise him!" John protested.

"I'll drive him out. We'll pick a place with trees nearby," said Ayako. John met Ayako's gaze uncertainly.

"Ayako, no. I won't have you at risk. Especially not if it's the demon that's possessing him," said John, taking a firm stance. Lin sighed and stood up.

"Naru?" Lin asked. His aura was buzzing with impatience and anger. Naru though for a moment.

"We'll contact him first and determine if he is possessed," said Naru."If so, then we'll contact you, John. Initially we'll bring Miss Hara and Miss Matsuzaki. Lin and Yasu will be backup in the case of any physical altercations."

"I'll pick out a few places that have a sufficient amount of trees. That way, we'll be more than prepared if he tries to be an ass about things over the phone again," said Ayako, taking out her phone.

"That's fine," said Naru, "Miss Shaw, have you read any of the aura book?"

"Uh...since last night, no. I tried to crack it open last night, but we were all exhausted," I said. He nodded.

"I'll give you a brief summary for now, but it really is pertinent to read it soon to ensure your understanding of the subject," said Naru. "There are different capabilities of aura powers. For example, Miss Hara is able to read auras through a spiritual aspect. You, however, are able to read people's emotional states and to some extent, their essence."

"Right. I have to admit, though, you guys are a lot easier to read since you're spiritualists and your auras are bigger," I said.

"I'd like to try and test your potential to expand your abilities," said Naru.

"Okay. Cool. So what are we going to do?"

"Last night, we discovered that auras could be replenished through touch. Even Mai and I were able to replenish ours unknowingly. I want to test to see if you could possibly use that power to help on cases with hostile spirits." Naru said.

"You and Lin's auras are a little bit depleted from this morning. Should I try testing it on one of you?" I asked uncertainly. Lin looked away. For some reason, it felt really awkward all of a sudden.

"...Sure." Naru held out his hand to me. Lin turned his head our way once more, and fixed me with a narrow-eyed glare. His aura and shiki were still and alert as he watched us closely. I glanced at the others, who didn't seem to be watching as intensely as him. Creepy much, Lin? I paused before putting my hand in Naru's. I focused on his aura and determined the point at which it would be fully replenished. It stayed as it was. I tried concentrating on thinking of giving him some of my energy. A cold, unpleasant tingle ran down my arm and seemed to run up his. We quickly pulled our hands away from each other.

"No. Noooo, nooo, noooo!" I squealed, looking anywhere but Naru. I briskly swiped at my arm. "That felt wrong on too many levels!"

"I actually feel quite violated. Let's never do that again," agreed Naru, his aura swimming with disgust. He was suddenly engrossed with swiping away at his arm. The others didn't quite know whether to laugh or be worried. Houshou shook with silent laughter.

"Maybe there's another factor that could help make it work," said John, looking pensive. Everyone looked at him curiously. "Last night it worked for me and Layelle, and Naru and Mai. It could be a trust factor thing or...or an emotional factor. Maybe...try it on me? I don't mind." He smiled sweetly at me. My cheeks instantly grew hot and his smile grew wider.

"Of course you don't mind," said Ayako in a stage whisper.

"Your aura is full, so I don't think it would work right now," I said. All of a sudden, Lin gave a short whistle and a single white shiki shot out of his aura and collided with John's arm. It all happened in a few seconds. "Lin! What the hell!" I glared at him and he returned it tenfold. I blinked and shrank back.

"It's okay, Layelle," reassured John, though he was in obvious pain from the blow to his arm. "He helped. Is my aura depleted enough?" I fixed my gaze on his aura and saw that it had depleted a little.

"Okay, let's try this," I said, walking over to him. He took my hands in his and I focused on his aura. Our orange border glowed between us. I concentrated on sending him energy like I had Naru. Something very different happened. The tingles that went down my arms were warm and enticing. When it met our orange border, it sparked before travelling up John's arms. It left behind a tingling, pulsating sensation in my whole body. I bit my lip to stifle a gasp, reddening at the thought of everyone's eyes on us.

I watched John's reaction as he tried and failed to stifle his gasp at the tingling sensation. Whoa, hot. His aura immediately started restoring. I watched as it reached capacity and then started to let go of his hands. He held on for a moment longer, the expression in his eyes unreadable, although his aura showed intrigue. John's fingers trailed slowly across my wrists as he let go. The tingling stopped. We stood across from each other silently, heads down, not quite willing to look directly at each other but also not quite willing to pull away.

"Well?" prompted Naru impatiently.

"Was it as good for you as it was for him?" whispered Houshou. Ayako, Yasu, and Mai stifled laughter. Masako was red faced and hidden behind her sleeve.

"It worked," I said simply. John nodded slowly. Stepping around him awkwardly, I stiffly made my way back to my seat beside Masako. John walked over and resumed his perch on the arm of the couch beside me. My face was the color of a tomato.

"Well...You guys looked a little...um...too happy," said Yasu, smirking. I stared at him with a deer in the headlights expression. Anyone that had been holding in suppressed laughter let it loose. John hid his blushing face in his hand.

"Uh...Apparently when I consciously focus on transferring energy, weird sensations occur," I said. More laughter ensued at that comment.

"And you think John is cute, so you have that going on for you, too," said Houshou.

"Tea!" I practically yelled, standing abruptly and nearly knocking John off the couch arm. "I'm getting tea! Mai, stay sitting, I'll get the tea. Earl Grey this time! Tea!" Everyone stared as I fled the living room.

~*~

"You're cute when you're flustered."

I nearly dropped the Earl Grey tin. I turned to meet the very amused gaze of John. He was leaning against the counter behind me. His brow furrowed when he saw my face.

"Are you okay? You're really red." He crossed to me and put the back of his hand against my cheek. Our orange border sparked in front of my eyes, nearly blinding me.

"I'm fine! Just...uh...distracted. U-um, and trying to clear my head," I stammered, pulling my cheek away from him. I had an intense case of the jitters and it all had to do with the blonde man in front of me. I turned back to the tea.

"Oh? What's got you distracted?" His voice was closer. I could practically FEEL him standing right next to me, his breath on my shoulder. A tingle ran down my back.

"Stop that, please," I said, shivering.

"Stop what? I'm just here to help you carry the tea," said John. There was a hint of laughter in his voice.

"You're teasing me," I pouted. I glanced at him and saw the humor in his aura.

"Am not." He reached up to the cupboard above my head and got out cups for the tea because I managed to forget that crucial step. I watched him silently, taking note of the arm muscles moving under his shirt sleeve as he got out more cups.

"John?" I asked, fiddling absentmindedly with the tea tin.

"Yes, Layelle?" He set the last cup on the counter and turned his blue eyes to me. Once caught in his gaze, I opened and closed my mouth several times, contemplating how to tactfully ask my question.

"...Do you...lift weights?" I bit my lip. Smooth, Layelle. Loads of tact right there.

"If you count toting toddlers around the church daycare, then yes," said John, rolling up a sleeve and flexing his arm. I nearly swooned. I reached out and felt his muscle. "You look impressed." He fixed me with a smirk.

"N-no. I was just, uh, wondering if you went to a gym or something. I really need to start going to one," I babbled lamely. John's gaze roamed my figure.

"...No, you don't," he said, his aura lighting up with a streak of orange. I gaped at him, my face flushing red. "Also, score three for me, I think." His smirk widened as he watched me process his words.

"Hey! You little-!" I grabbed him around the shoulders with one arm and ruffled his hair roughly with the other. Laughing, he took the opportunity to dig his fingers into my unguarded stomach and tickle me. "Haaaa! Stop! Jooohn!" I let go of him and started to run away, but he grabbed me around the middle and trapped me against the counter, tickling me mercilessly.

"Uh...Is it G-rated in there?" Houshou poked his head into the kitchen to peek at us. He paused, taking in the scene in front of him. We were in what looked like a compromising position. My back was flush against John's chest and he had one arm around me to keep me in place as he tickled me. I was bracing myself against the counter trying to escape so I wouldn't die of laughter. "Really? Get a room, guys." He ducked back out of the room, his aura showing shock and embarrassment.

"What? What are they doing?" asked Ayako, nosy as ever.

"Groping," replied Houshou, sounding weary. "I'm going to have to have a talk with that boy…"

"We are not groping!" I yelled so that they could hear me. John still hadn't released his hold on me, although he had thankfully stopped tickling me. I turned my head to the side. "Uh...John?"

"Oh! Sorry." He slid his arms from around me in a way that made my nerves tingle where he had touched. I turned back to to counter to resume making tea, but felt something tug my hair. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see John lifting up one of my curls and sniffing it. Orange sparks went off in his aura.

"Uh...John? What are you doing?" I asked hesitantly. He pulled away abruptly and blushed.

"I swear I'm not trying to be creepy," he said, holding up his hands defensively. "I was just trying to place what your hair smelled like. It's nice. What shampoo do you use?" I stopped and stared at John while a smirk formed on my lips.

"A brand called Aussie." I poured hot water into each cup.

"Oh, well, that explains why it smells so good," John said, chuckling.

"You smell like Irish Spring though." I blushed. Did I really just tell him that?

"You've been smelling me, have you?" He sent a sideways smirk my way and I felt my stomach flutter.

"Not creeper status like you were a moment ago," I teased. "I took the chance to smell you when we hugged this morning."

"That's kind of creepy, actually," teased John. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Shut up and help me carry this tea, creeper," I ordered. He laughed and took the tea tray from me.

"Just let me lift this with my fantastic muscles." He winked at me and left the kitchen.

I nearly spilled a tray full of hot tea trying to contain my giggles as I followed him out to the living room.


End file.
